#The Fancy Adventures of Jack Cannon

[lowkeyclueless5137]

Winx Au (extra S7)

:3

Have S1 for an index right here

Za people have spoken!

They want glittery fairy Bois kicking ass :3

Anyway! I didn't initially plan it... Like season 6 was the final one in my agenda... Ya know...

BUT! but but but! Ya know... Time-line wise... Winx's season 3 would start after this au's S6 finished... So... Not only it would be a perfect lil final season, but also we get the cannon and au characters getting to know each other. :3

And also ✨Valtor✨

Anyway! Under le cut! We get with the FINAL final season of the series(I mean it this time U-Ub)

So... We start off, in the summer vacation, near the end of it.

Already the whole Requix squad was absolutely done and over with saving twisted wonderland, so they decided to just relax in their holiday.

During this time, ofc NRC was reorganising the management, the press issues and also renovating and rebuilding the damaged sides of the school.

Azul had his official crowning as emperor of the infinite ocean(see S5), but he didn't want to paint a big target on his back, nor did he want to deal with so much political warfare, so the ceremony was very retreated and kept a secret upon Azul's insistences. The Requix squad and the twins were the only ones who knew and also came. (due to sirenix)

Rollo also was a very cool guy to hangout, so occasionally the group would also visit him at the city of flowers. The city itself was very nice and lively.

Even so, with the school getting closer and closer and the group being actually expelled from NRC, they couldn't just ask to be officially enrolled in NBC and they weren't meeting the qualifications for other schools that would allow a transfer. They were supposed to be 3rd years, but already their whole cumulated skills and knowledge would give them early graduation.

Yet, to cheer them up, Idia brought up Solaria's upcoming princess ball. Since he did graduate NRC, he took over STIX as executive director. And because of STIX having various connection, including the royal family of Solaria. And because they need to keep up those connections, Idia has to attend the said party as his parents had to attend some more important duties.

But Idia actually had the opportunity to get with him some other guests. And this time, it was a party at the palace, guarded to the brim. They had literally nothing to worry about, except maybe what they will wear. It is a royal ball after all.

So with that stuck in mind, the group decided to just go to magix city and see what's poppin. It was a royal ball, so of course, they needed to look like they came straight from the runway.

And all was going great. Some looking around, chatting, yet they came here around lunch time, so they firstly decided to eat. There was a pizzeria around, so clearly not in the mood for some fancy cafe food, the group decided to take a pizza and be over with it. As long as it fills them up, it's no problem.

So they go in, place their order and wait in there. It was gonna come out in 10 minutes, which left a bit of time to discuss what each of them did in the holiday since the last time they saw each other.

Jack was more of a stay at home guy, playing with his siblings and also hanging out with Vil a bit. They are getting around with a better friendship, so Jack is hopeful they will sort out. Sebek had a few field trips with his family. Since he used his wish to bring them together, the whole Zigvolt family was trying to work out, which yes, it had Sebek at the bridge and subject of affection, which was a bit annoying, but the field trips were very fun.

Epel again, stood in his village, helping around. He had some small adventures from time to time, but it were more like short funny stories to tell at a pijama party. Deuce mostly took up with his training as a nymph. His mom was very supportive of it and more often than not, Deuce blew something up on accident. Sevens bless the repairing spells, they are sure handy.

Ortho wasn't that much into staying at home for holiday, but he also didn't like to travel alone, so he mostly helped his big brother and parents around and also dealing with some relationship formalities. As for the last, Ace had the time of his life at the palace. Sure, he mostly stood at home with his nana, but he did go at the palace from time to time. Now, he wasn't really a prince, yet, but still it was absolutely bonkers to explore the whole thing like you own the place. His brother and sister in law still are planning little details for their wedding, so clearly it's a very important thing for the whole queendom of roses. Deuce notes that it's gonna be on live TV, so you bet the whole gang would watch just to see Ace mess up on live TV.

So while they were chatting, Sebek notes that the pizza was ready. The chef just put it on the counter. So Deuce is the one that came to pick it up from the intense rock-paper-scissors match.

Except that poor Deuce happens to miss it when a girl literally takes it from him. There was another girl, who was accusing the latter of stealing her pizza. Deuce really was dumbfounded, because they were the ones who stood in here for 10 minutes for their pizza. It wasn't a lot of time, but still, they were here first and that was their order. Even the chef looked apologetically at Deuce and told him that the next one is coming in another 10 minutes.

So being witnesses to this clownery, Ace is the one who steps in, yanking the box from Chimera and declaring loud and clear that this is their pizza, which they ordered first, and waited patiently for it. If they want to fight for another, better do it on something that it's not already pre-ordered.

And of course, an argument escalates, Chimera asking Ace who tf does he think he is and that if he was oh so patient, he could wait another 10 minutes, all while trying to yank the pizza out of him. Stella on the other hand, realised her fault and properly apologised to Deuce(Bloom nudged her), for taking their food. Deuce kindly says that it's no biggie, but he is a bit worried that Ace might just rile up Chimera a bit too much.

And BOI does Ace really love to rile up the situation. Jack tried to be the peacemaker, but Chimera also took a jab at him, which in turn sent Epel into the riling up. Ortho was just palm-facing and Sebek really was ready to yank the 2 out of there. Deuce still tried to form a coherent thought about the situation.

At this point, Ortho told Ace to just give the girls the pizza. Another one was almost ready and the group really wants to eat something. Ace, for a sec, thinks that maybe Ortho was right, but that second of thinking was all it took for Chimera to grab the box and yank it, to the point it ripped open and the contents fell on both Ace and Chimera.

Of course, Ace really does not take this kindly. Like girl, he was seconds away from actually giving it to you, so why did you have to do that?! Now both of them were covered in pizza toppings. Thankfully Ace knew a quick clean-up spell and already Ortho grabbed the next done pizza, which ortho also apologised to the chef for the commotion, before he got the group to scram from there and finally get to eat something.

After eating, the group finally take on to go and shop around. Ace really was praying to never see that whiny chick ever again. Great! Now no one is ever gonna consider working in retail. What are they gonna do since they have no chance of a graduation certificate? >:v

Again, it's a colective 'screw you, Crowley' moment.

But in the end, the group do find some nice clothes for themselves. They went to a shop for Ortho, since man was so indecisive that he needed to scout the whole city before settling on something. But he did like the accessories in here and they would go well with his fit for the ball, so why not?

Except that when they head for paying for their shit, a wild Chimera also appears. Sebek was almost yelling a 'you again?!' if Epel didn't shush him down. Already the saleswoman was cashing Ortho's things as chimera demanded to cash in her dress first. Ortho tried to be civil and say that he will just pay with the card and he's almost done, bit Chimera again insisted, clearly in a hurry.

The others noticed that Stella and Bloom were fast approaching the store so maybe it was again a race for something? At this point they were done and over with it. Chimera insists that she will be the princess of Solaria, so she needs this dress for her princess ball. The poor saleswoman was reassured when Ortho gracefully allowed her to checkout chimera, even if that meant re-doing Ortho's objects yet again. The saleswoman did thank him for his patience.

Fortunately, our group had mad patience skills over this 2 years since they entered and got expelled from NRC. Ace, Epel and Sebek did run short on it sometimes, while Jack had the longest record of standing.

Ortho again was ready to pay, when Stella barges in and heads straight for the cashier. Really Ortho was ready to punt someone. Like??? Sorry, ladies, but he just wants to slide in that damn card and get properly his accessories. It doesn't take more than a few seconds!

This time, Bloom apologises for her friend's little rash attitude today, but Chimera really pushed the limit today and Stella was having none of it. Well, surprise, but the group also had none of it when someone screws over with them.

But in the end, they just hoped to never run again into chimera, which was very unlikely, since she was gonna be 'the future princess of solaria' and they will attend to the princess ball in solaria after all. Bloom was surprised to hear that, since she knew it was Stella's princess ball in solaria, not Chimera.

Jack brings up that it sounds a bit fishy and that maybe they should look out for this ball...

But nonetheless, they leave it like this for now, until the actual ball itself comes. On the big day, the group did remeet again in advance, mostly to finish up their looks(Ortho would absolutely punt each and every one of them if they dared to go without any proper prep). But they were slaying and ready to party.

And unlike the rose queendom's palace, this one was even bigger and more grander. The guests were coming in fancy carriages and of course, most were of noble blood or apart of the royal court. Really there was a high standard when it came to how someone was dressed.

Unfortunately, our group realised a bit too late that the comune theme around were lighter colors. Yep... Surely they won't stand out too much with their blacks and darker colors... :'3

Back on the better notes... There was a lot of food there... :D

But even so, the group mostly stuck after Idia like ducklings. They were never properly at a party without having a mission to fulfill or being abruptly stopped by a surprise bad guy attack. Add to this the fact that this is a royal ball, where it was expected a certain level of class and elegance.

And Idia, was an anxious mess. He was approached by a lot of people from the royal court, curious of his presence in here. And also if the pelicular fashion taste. Clearly the group had to be from another planet altogether, but it was hard to say from where, as most magix alliance planets always had very distinct and colorful styles.

Thankfully, king Radius comes to greet Idia, happy to see the oldest of the Shroud children being able to attend the princess ball. He was oddly in a great mood today. Idia does greet awkwardly a bit, excusing his parents's absence and also introducing Ortho and the rest of the Requix squad.

Now, Radius only saw Ortho as a baby, so to see him all grown up as a teen was a surprise. He does note that there is quite the resemblance to the father at the face, while Idia always looked more like his mother. Nonetheless, he was happy to see his old friends's children all grown up and here. That, before he leaves to search for his daughter, Stella.

The rest of the group does ask how tf does the king know the 2. Idia responds that this is not his first time in here. Their parents were actually long time friends with King Radius. Idia was actually just one year older than Radius's daughter, Stella. So they did use to play together when they were very young and STIX was under the direction of his grandparents. He actually still kept in touch with Stella. She was the one that taught Idia how to make braids and buns. Ortho was just a small baby when he was in here so really, he was probably unrecognizable now.

Now leave the friendship story aside, the group wants to see the baby pictures. Ya know... Must make fun of each other with each occasion. :v

So King Radius again returns, but this time with Stella as well, who is absolutely thrilled to re-see her childhood friend. But then you see the Requix squad gasping like absolute dumbasses, realising that Stella was one of the girls they kept running into back in magix city. At least she was the actual nice one, who apologised for being mean. :'3

Cue very awkward proper introduction. :'3

Ace does bring up that the other girl, Chimera, said that she was' the future princess of solaria', so this begs the question: what tf is going in this royal family drama. Stella again denies that it's impossible, because it was her princess ball...

Welp... King Radius, the ever so dumb(/j), just makes the official announcement that he will be marrying Countess Cassandra, whom daughter was none other than Chimera herself. Oh if this wasn't one of the most predictibile things for our group. Even so, they do try to reassure Stella along the rest of the winx.

For all they knew, Chimera could be bratty, but she could also be better than prince Mangor. U-Ub

Cue the dance opening for the ball. Epel oh so happened to be the closest to the countess and her daughter, seeing Chimera ready to cast a spell.

So naturally, knowing the very brief history in between the 2 girls and NOT wanting another scandal, Epel is making a counter spell, stopping Chimera's spell in time, which does gain her attention, unfortunately.

So Chimera aims this time at Epel, who was easily countering her spells. Like he didn't even try that much. :'3

But, the dance still wasn't over, so seeing that Chimera had a hard time placing the spell, Cassandra takes the opportunity window to place the spell on Stella, which immediately gains the panic of the court.

Of course, the first person Radius calls for help is Idia, in hopes that maybe he could pinpoint what kind of dark spell this is. The fire head was ready to come forward when suddenly the king declared that this wasn't his daughter, rather a monster that had to be arrested immediately.

Welp... This surely came quick to chaos...

So because of the absolute chaos with winx trying to escape, Idia calls out that he will take the king to safety. Countess Cassandra does seem very against this, but Idia replies that mayhaps she wanted to keep the king in the aera of danger. Of course, Radius indulged into Idia's plead to flee to more safe quarters.

Unbeknownst to Cassandra, Deuce and Ortho followed in tow, using their clavix powers(see S6), to figure out if the king was spelled.

Of course, the mark of Valtor appeared on his neck. None of them ever saw such mark until now, so their best shot was to use the fairy dust and see if it will get rid of it. Thankfully it does clean the spell, and King Radius finds himself very confused about what happened. Idia takes the job to fill him in, while Deuce and Ortho try to find out where the rest were.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group were defending against the guards. Chimera really decided to paint a target on their back too for the soldiers, so now someone had to hold back Ace from squaring up. Solaria soldiers also were pretty good at keeping up against enchantix spells, so everyone split up, with Sebek and Epel helping the winx to escape and Ace with Jack were giving a hand to the specialists.

In the end, the Winx escape and the specialists as well. Yet still, there was a bit of an issue, mainly on why Stella was cursed as a monster.

And our Requix squad also make a proper introduction, saying that they are also fairies, but already they reached enchantix. With hope, they do try to use the fairy dust on Stella.

Unfortunately it doesn't work. So because Stella was the fairy of the sun and the moon, Deuce was the nymph of the night sky, meaning that he could try and connect to Stella's magic and pinpoint what may be wrong.

It turns out that the spell Chimera used was a spell, meant to latch onto the target's magic in such a way that as long as the target believes this is truly their truest form of their soul, it will be reality. That's why the fairy dust didn't work: Stella had to also work on her own self-image, not just spell it away.

So here comes sum library search. The winx in the Alfea library, while our group in the secret library, with Neressa's help(see S6 ending). They do find something about the mirror of truth and thankfully, the winx also found about it, so at unanimous decision, the group was going to take on finding that mirror.

And yes, the group and Idia do help out winx. Idia cuz childhood friend and our Requix squad because, as much as they would want to not get in anymore adventures and saving people, these mfs really can't help themselves to not help out.

At this point everyone in the group hates that they can't say no to saving people. :'3

But they embark on the quest. Some more magic shenanigans and finally, they find the mirror of truth. Stella and Brandon have a nice moment together and Stella gets to break the spell with the help of the magic mirror.

After that, our Requix group does return home, only to be faced with the fact that they were accepted back in NRC. Of course with Leona as the new headmaster, for once our group was breathing in somewhat relief that maybe this time, the school year will be peaceful. Even if it was announced that they officially skipped a grade, it was their last year, might as well have a peaceful one.

What a big. Fat. Lie. :P

Meanwhile, as the emperor of the infinite ocean, Azul felt when the Andros seas got in danger due to Valtor. Since his mother was living there, Azul rightfully was going there, mostly to protect his family. So all this time he went deadbeat, and the twins do bring it up at NRC to the group. They tried to contact Azul, since he suddenly left to Andros for some business and told them to just go to school and not mind it.

The group does try to tell the twins that maybe Azul returned to cloud tower and that he's busy with work. It was still far from the truth, but none of them knew that now.

In truth, no one really heard from Azul anymore. Not even Idia or Malleus, whom the latter 2 decided to take matters into their own hands. Malleus did send a spell message, but he never got a reply back. He was starting to worry, but as crowned prince of Thorn Valley, he had to take more in his royal responsabilities. One in particular being his attendance at the Eraklyon party. He did try to invite Idia as his boyfriend, but the firehead had to refuse. 1 party fiasco was enough for him. And the situation on solaria gave to Idia the confirmation that indeed, Countess Cassandra put again a spell on the king and was executing a throne stealing attempt. With Stella's crowned princess title being given to Chimera, something really fishy was going on in there.

Meanwhile, the winx fight on Andros and Aisha gets her Enchantix! :D

As the fairy/witch of the seas, Azul took it upon himself to patch up for the winx's absence, while Valtor was still running havoc in there. Before departing, Azul tells them that fairy dust can clean off Valtor's mark. Unfortunately, the spell of the zombie mermaids seems to be recast multiple times, which makes many attempts to be futile.

And so, before fully saying goodbye and entrusting the frontlines to Azul and Queen Ligea, the octomer tells the winx to look for the Requix squad. They are a bit of troublemakers, but they always knew how to put up a fight.

Of course, the Winx turn up to our fave group of tired bastards. :3

Except that this time, our group really wanted nothing to do with any kind of trouble. They had a nice school year start, let's keep it that way. U-Ub

But the winx insist, saying that Azul was the one who told the girls to search for them. They were enchantix fairies for more than a year. They also have Mythix, Sirenix and Clavix. And Valtor will not stop only at Andros, that was clear.

So getting fully filled in about the andros situation. Azul was currently fighting the mer-monsters and Valtor seems to still keep on resisting. Someone also had to keep in check the omega portal, which only made everything harder.

Azul's power as the emperor wasn't enough to gain him the right to close and open the omega portal. He could only open and close portals in between seas. And even so, he only has a fourth of his actual full power.(see S5 ending)

So it was a very critical moment for Andros. Aisha surely was devastated at the thought of her home being destroyed and yet, there wasn't anything she could do now.

So in the end, against their initial skepticism, the Requix group decide to help. They were not that eager on another adventure, but they will try and do their best to help.

Even so, the group did contemplate what to tell the twins. In the end, the truth did have to come out one way or another. And the twins, rightfully demanded to have a leave from the school to go and help Azul on Andros.

Now, if it was Crowley at the desk, this kind of formal leave would take weeks. But Leona was understanding of the problem at hand. With Valtor on the loose, it was clear that Twisted wonderland will be on the list of soon to be attacked planets. So he did start to take measures, including getting the other magic schools of this planet on board about the situation. So far, every school had a magic barrier, that will repel outsiders. Unless Valtor specifically decides to pay a visit, no more further action was taken.

Stella does tell to Idia her worry about the Solaria situation. And with King Radius attending the said Eraklyon party, he could be again freed from the spell Cassandra put on him. It was doubtful it would be for long.

But Idia does have an invitation. In the form of 1 Malleus Draconia. Idia surely didn't tell Malleus about Azul's situation, as he was 100% certain Malleus would declare war on Valtor in a heartbeat. And while this was probably a good thing, to get some action against the root of this, Idia still needed Malleus to not turn the invitation down if they wanted to get into the Eraklyon castle and mend again with the spell status of King Radius.

And so, another party commences. Really, at this point our Requix squad was thinking that it was absolutely ridiculous how many times they had to crash a royal party or the party was crashed by someone/something else.

But Malleus is there! So it's a very awkward time in between him and Sebek. :'D

It doesn't help that most likely, Sebek will become a guardian fairy, so he will have to work for Malleus in a way or another. Malleus also didn't know about the mission at hand, so Sebek wasn't going to break it to him why he was actually there.

So firstly the ball is opened by Bloom and Sky. So far, everything was going great on that end. Meanwhile, with King Radius, he was always in the presence of Cassandra and Chimera, which made our group's mission harder.

But things go to shit when Sky suddenly switches sides and declares Diaspro his new girlfriend, then deems the winx as dangerous witches, so they have to make a run for it, out of the palace. First of all, it was a dick move. Second....

Nah... Still a dick move... >:v

Malleus is again, very confused of the display, but this time Jack has to drag him out of the danger as Sebek stood behind with Deuce to fight the guards and keep them further from the group.

It all goes to shit when the actual dragons are released. 1 or even 3 would be no problem for our group. But they were more than that. Unfortunately they were an equivalent of horses in here. So again, it's a split up in trying to get the dragons off their trails.

And Stella also saves her father like in cannon, which earns her Enchantix. Yet she couldn't take her father with her, so the best she could do is make sure he was ok before departing.

Results: they failed to re-lift off the spell off King Radius and now Sky was clearly under the same spell.

It was simply a mess.

So the group has to give this point to Valtor unfortunately. Finally, Malleus gets filled in to the whole situation and, as expected, man is ready to declare war. Idia holds him from doing that, since they couldn't do much. On Andros they would need to cast and recast a water resistance spell, which would also weaken their attacks. They couldn't drag Azul down.

Even so, Malleus does take a small moment to talk with Sebek. Mainly about his ignorance regarding what happened during the previous 2 years at NRC. Sebek is nudged by the others to accept the apology, yet he wasn't going to just waltz back into a friendship with Malleus, Lilia and Silver. He still needs time.

Later on, the news of Sky's matrimony with princess Diaspro is announced. Of course, that plus the connection with Valtor, prompts Bloom to retreat to Gardenia for a bit.

Meanwhile, at NRC, our group realise that since they skipped a year, they are in the same courses as Riddle, Kalim and the rest of their group. It was very wierd, but in the end, the group still excelled at their practical tests. For written tests, most did pull an intensive aincent library research, with Neressa's guidance.

Deuce tho, does express his worry about Andros. Valtor sure was piling up allies who act for him outside of Andros. And Deuce fears that Valtor might already put his influence in twisted wonderland, but they have no idea.

Epel points out that Chimera was at Beta Academy for fairies and she also repeated a year because she didn't get enchantix. Which meant that however one may try to deny it, the spell that was cast on Stella at the princess ball was initially chimera's doing. Epel didn't give it much thought then, but now that he actually thought about it, it was a complicated dark spell, which meant Chimera and by extension Cassandra as well, must've had a meeting with Valtor.

Neressa also seems to know about Valtor. A greedy wizard born from a spark of the dragon's flame that was mixed with dark magic. So far, the only known counter for the dragon's flame were the water stars. Those stars were very powerful and dangerous at the same time.

But thankfully, our group knew someone who happened to be the fairy of the water stars themselves.

But Floyd was on Andros along Jade, helping Azul. If Valtor was still there, the 2 were bound to meet somehow.

Cue permission request to Leona yet again. As long as you 6 don't hit the bucket and do your homework, you can go nuts. :3

Riddle does express his worry over the whole mingling with Andros thing, but he knew that our group was dead set onto going there, so the best he could do was to make a copy of his notes in class, for when the group returns.

And so, the group go to Andros, mostly to help and also get Valtor out of there.

Except that when they go there, they get faced with the news that Valtor fleed Andros, not after he stole all of the magic scrolls this planet had. Azul was doing his best at calming down the seas of Andros, while the twins were trying to keep stable the omega portal. It was an absolute chaos, especially with the monster mermaids running havoc around.

Thankfully, the winx also arrive in there, which makes the job far more easier.

Azul does fill in the group that sadly, Valtor moved to cloud tower. Headmistress Griffin escaped thankfully, but the Cloud Tower magic scrolls and archive were all in Valtor's hands now and the poor witches were under hypnosis, used as mere lackeys.

There is a lot of fights going on, mainly everyone trying to both close the omega portal and also heal the monster mermaids and take the innocents to a safe place.

Unknown to our group who were helping out the people, winx went on their merry way to try and close the omega portal.

Techna sacrifices herself, gets enchantix and now is probably lost in the omega portal. :'3

But at least now, Andros was freed from Valtor's influence. But the Winx and specialists were inconsolable. Techna was gone and for them it was a hard hit.

Fortunately, to try and give them a bit of more hope that their friend is at least alive, the group turn up to Idia. He confirmed that no fairy of technology died today, but that was about all he could do.

Still, their main goal was to talk to Floyd and get him on board. He was the fairy of the water stars after all. Floyd himself was recovering from the long fight he had on Andros. Still, the group didn't hurry too much. The winx also needed to reconcile about their loss. And this time, our group wasn't hurrying from all parts. They could allow themselves to take small breaks.

Even so, Floyd explains that his power was very volatile on Andros. Only after some time did it stabilise properly. That also was marked with Valtor's leave from there. Floyd adds that the water stars and the dragon flame are like Ying-yang. Opposites and deadly to each other. So just how he would be a danger for Valtor's powers, so is he for Floyd's. And while Floyd would really like to punch the guy, he wasn't going to risk it. At least for now.

But he points out that there are water stars on their own. They are hard to control and as such, locked away so they won't accidentally mingle with the dragon flame and create chaos.

And due to the cloud tower being under Valtor's regin, Azul had to settle at NBC. Rollo did get filled in on the situation and again, the Noble Bell college was more than ready to help against this, only if it targets them as well. For now, they were merely on defence.

The next time our Requix squad hears from the winx is after they got Griffin from cloud tower, when they attempted to give Valtor revenge for Techna's situation. It was an absolute dumb thing to do, but for now, only Ace voiced his opinion. Bloom was gone on Pyros to try and unlock her enchantix as well.

Jack brings up the fact that Valtor did not make any move. Griffin was after all, free. Sebek theorises that he is still in the process of taking all of cloud tower's spells. Those must've taken a toll on him. Too much raw power is simply messing with your mind if Mangor was something to learn from. :'3

With this in mind, the group thinks of a magi-lock. (see S2) They could use a magi-lock on Valtor and thus leave him locked in there. Then maybe throw the damn thing in oblivion or something. Maybe Azul could open another small gate to throw it? So that even if it's broken in there, Valtor won't be able to escape at all.

So our boyos go to the library again. They were absolutely going to make again a magi-lock. This time, since they are long past charmix, they feel much more confident that it would go smoothly.

In fact, it doesn't go that smoothly. In between classes and running around, it was tiring. Thankfully Neressa found again the book they needed and Ace with Ortho only needed a small refresh of it to just do it quickly. :'3

Their magilock, just like the last time, it was a small box. With this, the group were absolutely certain of their inevitable win.

So the box stays at Epel for the mean time. Cue the boys deciding to meet up in magix city with the winx and tell them of the magilock box they have.

Except that they encounter a wierd guy spying on them. Sebek and Ace are the ones who straight up confront the guy, who presents himself as Nabu, Aisha's fiancé from an arranged marriage. Ortho is the one who confirms that indeed, his soul is clean of any lie in regards to this. There was no spec of Valtor's influence whatsoever.

Still, it wasn't ruled out the possibility that Nabu could still be a spy. He could be helping Valtor out of his own will for all they knew.

Speaking of the Devil, Valtor makes an announcement that he will steal the eye of the aincent Ancestress. So everyone heads up to the museum, leaving Nabu alone to just go home. Like pls, don't follow us anymore, we are literally 12 people all with enchantix, we can manage.

Nabu still follows. :'3

The museum of magix mostly makes Deuce feel a bit uneasy. Mayhaps it was because there was a lot about the nymphs of magix, nymphs who weren't naturally born like this, like Deuce was. The others do reassure that his wish (from S6) was for people to accept natural nymphs. Still Deuce was a bit uncomfortable with all of this.

So because of that, Sebek took Deuce on a detour to the main valut, passing through the room where originally, the eye was kept. That was a room, mostly dedicated to the nyphs themselves, which none of the 2 actually knew of. They've never been here to begin with, so it was natural.

Except that they also run into the Trix. The 3 witches of course understated the 2 as they never meet Sebek or Deuce properly. Which allows for the 2 to have the advantage of surprise and hold the Trix enough for their commotion to get the others in here too.

Valtor also comes, which of course, escalates everything. Due to being a smaller room and 16 persons fighting with magic, clearly it was a mess. But, we also have Epel and Ace on the line-up, who have a habit of fighting dirty, meaning they would pull on icy's cape, or push away the enemy to make them lose balance. Heck, even throw stuff at them, not just spells. We're they brats? Yes. Did they care? Nope.

But, due to all this mess, Epel couldn't use the magilock box, because there was a high chance it could also catch someone else in it. And you can't open it without letting all the contents out first.

Unfortunately, Valtor uses Nabu as a bargain chip, so that Aisha would give him the Agador box.

And as such, Valtor flees happily with the box and Epel punches Nabu for not listening to them. Now Valtor could make more space for more spells to steal. At least they had the magilock box and as such, they had a chance to put a swift stop to everything.

Bloom does worry over the chance that Valtor truly knows what happened to her birth parents and her planet altogether, but Jack tries to reason with her: it's either Valtor is on the loose and could spread any lies to try and let Bloom lower her guard, or they could swiftly put an end to him and prevent anymore damage from being done. Now Valtor seems to have moved places yet again. Cloud tower was free but at the same time left of any magic book or scroll. The building itself wasn't happy with this, but it was better than the abuse Valtor put on it. Poor Cloud tower needs to be avenged. U-Ub

Surely Valtor would aim to get stronger, which in turn it will get harder to lock him up. So they still need to weaken him. The water stars are brought up and as such, it is no surprise that they need Floyd's help in the matter.

Floyd himself is skeptical of this. Especially knowing that there is a chance that if Valtor can overpower Floyd, he would be over. Then it comes the problem of Bloom's tie with Valtor through the dragon flame. To what degree can Floyd use his power on Valtor without indirectly harming Bloom? If the dragon flame and water stars attack each other, it would reverberate to anyone influenced by them to various degrees.

Those of course, were all known by Floyd. So unless they weaken Valtor with enough power, he cannot step in the game due to the backlash such thing has.

So Ace asks if by chance, they could use the original water stars. If Floyd resonates with them, then they could easily use them and would have more chances of taking down Valtor from every direction. Trix surely won't be that much of a problem afterwards.

As such, the group wanted to head out for the water stars, but the Requix squad and Floyd are called back when it's revealed that Valtor was spotted in twisted wonderland. As such, they split up: winx go for the water stars, Requix go to protect their home planet. :v

We also have a nice lil subplot where Ruggie, Kalim and Jade help the pixies against Trix. :3c

But back to the main plot, despite having the water stars, Valtor fleed and no one was able to track him down. Apparently upon clashing with Floyd, both had a violent magic reaction and both had to retreat. So Floyd had to recover from the altercation before activating the water stars.

In that time, king Radius announces his wedding with countess Cassandra. This, of course, is making Stella very angry. Now Idia could only do oh so much and his parents will also attend. Cassandra had no word in that aspect at least.

Cue crashing the wedding in grand style. But it's OK, it's for saving the world and avoiding a mass political scandal and also some future wars. Plus Stella said it's alright. :3

And FINALLY, we get permanently rid of Cassandra and Chimera's influence on Radius. The wedding was dropped off and Stella has her dad back in full health and conscious.

And as such, once Floyd was back in full force, he was able to easily tap into the water stars and resonate with them. He gave them back to the winx, but he warned that they are very volatile when they come in contact with the dragon flame. As such, Floyd did keep one water star for himself, later on giving it to Jade. If anything were to go to shit, Jade would be able to heal up his brother using the water star.

After some thinking and a long night of research in the aincent library, the Requix group realised something: Valtor never attacked Alfea properly. The trix only stirred some chaos there from what they recall, but Valtor personally didn't go for the archive.

This also follows some period of actually attending courses properly and taking exams. Really the group's social life at NRC was in shambles. Most times, the group would invite Riddle over to do homework together. Sometimes Kalim also tagged along.

For Sebek at least, since he made a truce with Malleus, he didn't really take in account that Lilia and Silver weren't aware of what happened on Eraklyon. The constant approaching from the 2 got the group to mobilise more quick. It was akin to a reflex. In the end, if Sebek managed to get Malleus to understand, he is confident Lilia and Silver will also understand.

Thankfully, Sebek first tackles Silver, who also apologised first for his ignorance. He didn't mean to take credit for Sebek and his group's work and as such, he understood pretty quick that friendship was off the table for now. They could at least be classmates and study buddies for now. For Lilia, it took some convincing, but in the end, he also left Sebek to do his own thing. Surprisingly he was the most stubborn of all. U-Ub

With those 2 out of the way, finally the group could say that now, no one in school will ever pose as a distraction. Sure there were some 3rd and 4th years who still didn't get over with our group. Mostly for what they pulled during previous years, which now put them in a bad light. (see S4-exams and S6) it was much more simple to ignore them, eventually use a counterspell for their little 'pranks'.

There were also the training with the RSA specialists. Oh they were going down. Sum training never brings bad. >:3c

As such, when Valtor challenges the old company of light to a duel, using the dissappearance of cloud tower as a bargain chip, our Bois immediately head to Alfea, while the winx go to cloud tower, using the water stars to undo Valtor's spell of invisibility. As such, they could immediately prevent Valtor from taking anything from the archive while the winx returned with the water stars and weakened him enough.

So finally, Epel summons the magic lock, but before he could actually use it, Valtor brings up some 'info' about Bloom's birth parents, which makes her to stop Epel from proceeding with the sealing and thus, allowing Valtor to escape.

This time, Ortho brings it up, saying that it's utter bullshit. Valtor couldn't have kept their souls inside of him. Otherwise his body would be taken over by the 2. No matter how powerful he was, he was weakened many times, which immediately would grant the 'souls' inside to take over. It was a cheap trick and Bloom fell for it. Valtor was simply pushing on her buttons to buy time and escape every time he was cornered.

Sebek clears it out: weather he knew or not, Valtor will never tell Bloom anything about her parents. As such it's better to just capture him in the box and leave it at that. There are many other methods they could use to find her birth parents.

In truth, our Requix squad were absolutely done and over with Valtor. Oh how much would they want to punt the guy in a wall. You know? Why not punch that pretty face? But of course, they couldn't voice this out. The last thing they needed was to put up bad with the winx. :'3

So here it comes a big chase for Valtor. Firstly, in the cloud tower, to finally free it from any of the influence Valtor had. Bloom searches for the ancestral witches, with the help of Ortho, who's tapping in his disenchantix powers to at least grab the ancestral witches's attention. They do listen to him, Ortho marking as the bridge in between the 2 parties. The ancestral witches do seem to have some resentment for Valtor, confirming that indeed he lied about Bloom's birth parents. They were cooperating now with information for Bloom, just so they can still screw over with Valtor, ya know? Priorities. :3

Cue Trix getting also disenchantix, even so, that didn't stop Sebek to charge straight through them and leave the 3 witches at the mercy of the rest of the group. Epel follows suit after Sebek, both using clavix to find Valtor and confront him 2 on 1.

Valtor does manage to flee unfortunately. And as such, they were again unsuccessful. Their only win was that finally Griffin and Azul could return to the cloud tower. And just like anyone expected, after an investigation, no sign of Valtor was found. Man dipped with the Trix and spells too.

So Wut to do? Of course look everywhere for that fucker. They couldn't possibly let Valtor escape again. Fortunately, they do find him. Unfortunately, Valtor has the spell of 4 elements and thus, he's going nuts with it.

This goes more or so like in cannon. They free off the spells and Valtor, high on power, doesn't notice it. The Trix already abandoned his ass, so when Epel summoned that magilock box, it was easy to get Valtor dragged inside, via a convergence spell.

Imagine poor Azul, trying to have some peace and quiet after this whole mess, only for our favorite group of mfs to come to him like 'hey... Your majesty... We need a portal to oblivion to throw sum trash...'. This time Azul doesn't complain, because he personally wanted to throw in Valtor. Like... It's a want for everyone in the end. :3

Yes, the Requix squad and the twins still use 'your majesty' to tease on Azul. It's their lil inside joke since still the fact that he is emperor didn't come out. (see S5 ending)

And as such, to celebrate, a big party was thrown at Alfea. This time, nothing crashed it down, which frankly was a miracle. :'3

This also marks the end of the year for our group, which ends up with them officially getting their titles of guardian fairies. They finished NRC after all. Leona was the one who gave each of them the said titles. :D

And that would be how everything ends up.

Sebek gets his job as a guard for Malleus, later on being promoted to general.

Ortho took on STIX duties, later on taking as the new director after Idia married and got in the Draconia royal family.

Epel was working at the farm, being also the village protector. It was a simple and happy life for him.

Jack also followed Epel's ways, except that he got himself a place in the rescue forces, mainly since he was living in a touristic mountain area and it was bound to be accidents in there that needed intervention.

Ace got himself a nice secure place as a duke, his brother as prince consort to the future queen. :3

And finally, Deuce was promoted to a guard and also advisor, as he was a nymph. So he and Ace got themselves a pretty nice spots as a duo, later on more than that. ;3

And it is done! The 7th and last LAST season of the winx Au :3

Maybe at one point I would also draw the Bois's fairy forms... Who knows... Maybe y'all want to imagine them differently... Even so, there will be glaring differences from the cannon winx transformations, but ya know... I wanna keep a similar pattern, but with some ✨flair✨.

I say this as I am still an absolute mess at designing....

Thankfully, I already drew down on the notebook the wings's overall forms and also notes for season looks(except S7)... Ya know... To keep it consistent. :3

Until next time! Buh bye!

[bangsgirlsphotos]

Crystal from The Fancy Adventures of Jack Cannon!

An agent from Mega Intelligence (M.I.) that is investigating the Hackers.  She wears a nanotech scarf that she can pilot like her own limbs to capture her enemies or beat them up.  Her bag also carries first aid supplies.

(screenshots from pages 54, 84, 107, 143, 144, 147, 152.7, 338, 354, and 538)

[12izzy3]

Webcomic Recommendations No One Asked For:

I......... Spent 2 hours putting together a list of my webcomic recommendations, with summaries and reviews, because I was reworking my blog... And really I don’t think anyone ever goes directly on to my blog proper, so it feels kind of foolish to have that there where no one will see it, so I’m actually going to post it as well:

Webcomics are honestly just so tight, and there’s such a vast variety of them that there’s something for everyone, if not a few somethings for everyone! I’m personally all about indie games, but if there’s another indie market that I feel like the internet has created a space for it’s comics. After I started writing this I realized I have a uh… Lot of recommendations. Also, I may be an idiot for not using the author’s own summaries???

Regularly updating:

KILL SIX BILLION DEMONS - A comic about a college girl, Allison, given mystical powers beyond her understanding, and thrust into a celestial world filled with angels and demons, where the lines of good and evil are blurry at best. With the help of friends she meets along the way, she must navigate her new powers, and save her boyfriend from forces that would destroy existence. Kinda dark thematically (with very rare and minor gore), but a great comic if you love action, fantasy, and fantastic art. One of my favorites.

AWFUL HOSPITAL - Another one of my favorites. After her child becomes terribly sick, and doctors tell her that there’s nothing that they can do, a mother wakes up in a mysterious, otherworldly hospital. She must navigate this confusing and sometimes horrifying hospital to save her child and get home, and on the way, she makes many odd friends and unknowable enemies, and learns that her child’s sickness may be part of something larger. This comic is funny, has cool action, a unique format, and lots of great, though ghastly, character designs.

GUNNERKRIGG COURT - A coming of age story about two girls, Antimony and Kat, as they try to find their place in each other’s lives, and the two clashing worlds that surround them, the massive technological complex that is their school and home, Gunnerkrigg Court, and the forest across the river, where magic and fantastic creatures thrive, under the watchful eye of the trickster god Coyote. Another great one for if you like fantasy, but is usually a lot lighter, with a peak of intensity about equal to… Like, Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, I think. I’ve only gotten into this one pretty recently, but it’s good.

PARANATURAL - After his family moves to his dad’s old home town, Max discovers that he has magical powers, and becomes part of the Paranatural Activities club at his school, a group of students and their adviser who all have magical powers, and use them to protect the populace from ghosts, as well as investigate the many magical mysteries of the town. This comic is great, and mostly focuses on action and comedy. The art is a very colorful cartoony style, and the characters are drawn very… fluid, rubbery. The best way to put it is that the artist has really put a lot of effort into making characters consistently as expressive as possible, and that good old Disney/Looney Toons/Tom & Jerry stretchiness makes for very good visual comedy.

HOUSEPETS! - Another one of the earliest webcomics I ever read! Housepets is… largely a comedy comic, following the lives of anthropomorphized pets in a small neighborhood. They go on adventures, and live the fun yet complicated lives of an open society of people with unbelievable amounts of free time. However, sometimes there are bigger drama/adventure arcs, which are really good! A lot of the times amazing art or cool action are what draw me into adventure stories, but I just think the plot of this comic can be really good and surprisingly deep for a humor comic. And it’s still loose enough, and in the newspaper comic style that you can usually jump in very often (not every strip, mind you but in pretty small arcs) without feeling like you’ve missed a ton. Long too, lots to read, recommend.

STAND STILL STAY SILENT - SSSS is a comic that takes place 90 years after the end of the world. A zombie-like virus with strong mystical qualities has wiped out not just human, but much of the world’s mammalian life. In Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, and Denmark), in spite of the virus, society continues to exist, and most people live normal, happy lives. Our comic follows a research team, formed on a hairstring budget to travel into the infected zone, collect information on the virus and state of the fauna there, and, secretly, to collect books to sell back home. A great fantasy adventure drama that updates very often, and has really good art.

CUCUMBER QUEST - In spite of order this is actually the last one I’m writing, and I’m tired, so I’m going to copy the book one summary from Amazon:

What happens when an evil queen gets her hands on an ancient force of destruction? World domination, obviously. The seven kingdoms of Dreamside need a legendary hero. Instead, they’ll have to settle for Cucumber, a nerdy magician who just wants to go to school. As destiny would have it, he and his way more heroic sister, Almond, must now seek the Dream Sword, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat Queen Cordelia’s Nightmare Knight. Can these bunny siblings really save the world in its darkest hour? Sure, why not?

Cucumber Quest is good, the art is colorful and bright, all of the characters are relatable and real, including the villains, there’s cool adventures sequences and plot, and it’s a very fun comic. There’s humor and love and struggle in the comic, and it’s very well done.

GIRL GENIUS - Girl Genius follows Agatha Heterodyne, up and coming mad scientist, on her many adventures to save herself, her friends and the world if it’s along the way. It’s hard, however, competing with an entire world of mad scientists, as well as the Heterodyne legacy, one filled with chaos and bloodshed up until recently. I like Girl Genius a lot. It doesn’t move through the story very fast, but there’s a lot of solid world building, and more importantly, very intriguing sci-fi action and adventure happening inside of that world! I’m also pretty sure they do a radio show or podcast or something with additional Agatha adventures on top of the comic.

SUPERNORMAL STEP - After leading a life as a drifter after the death of her father, Fae is pulled into an alternate world where magic is real. There, she tries to find her place in life, master the magic that the world around her runs on, and get home to plain old earth in one piece. Lots of cool action, every character has really got their own style of magic. I can honestly tell you that it’s good, but I read it over such a long period of time that it’s got a pretty vague impression in my head.

ATOMIC ROBO - Robo is a skilled an dedicated scientist. He’s also an atomic robot built and raised by Nikola Tesla. Atomic Robo follows the titular character on the many adventures of his life, from WWII to the present. As the head of Tesladyne Industries, Robo is dedicated to researching the outlandish, the weird, the impossible! And when the world calls on him, he and his Action Scientists defend it from giant monsters, cosmic anomalies, and mad science. Atomic Robo is great if you love action, robots, monsters, humor, and velociraptors duel-wielding uzis. Highly recommended.

DUMBING OF AGE - As the title would imply, Dumbing Of Age is a pretty standard coming of age comedy! Starring a wide cast of likable and complex character, DoA follows a group of college freshmen as they learn more about themselves, and grow beyond the bubbles that they were raised in. I think the underpinnings of the comic are pretty strongly on humor, but there’s a lot of drama, and conversations about meaningful things too. There are lots of varying depictions of drama, depression, anxiety, and the ways people deal with pressure, and fear. But there’s also a lot of love and friendliness. It’s a good comic, and probably the only solid slice-of-life on my list.

MANLY GUYS DOING MANLY THINGS - This comic follows The Commander, a bio-engineered super soldier sent back in time to run a temp agency. This particular temp agency specializes in reintroducing particularly brutish video game, comic, and movie protagonists back into normal polite society. Duke Nukem isn’t much of a man for customer service, however. Later on the comic drifts more toward Commander’s personal life. (So slice of life, but with a buff, and actually surprisingly sensitive and forward thinking, super commando from the future.) Has been in a bit of a slump in terms of updates recently, but they still happen.

GRRL POWER - Sidney, a slightly hyper nerd who works at a comic shop, stumbles upon an artifact that gives her a variety of superpowers. After being exposed, she becomes a member of the government’s brand new super hero organization. This comic is a lot of fun, with some cool superpowers and super fights. Lots of humor, very consistently, in any given scene. Sadly, it is a bit fan service-y, though in the grand scale of things it’s not the worst offender (though definitely the worst you’ll see on this list).

SWORD INTERVAL - This is a pretty new one for me, but it’s great. At some indeterminate point in the past (potentially as far back as the civil war, if not farther), the earth became exposed to monsters and magic in ways that it wasn’t before. Humanity still exists and survives, but plagued by supernatural forces. Our main character is Fall, a very new monster hunter, who after years in witness protection, has decided to track down and kill the Hierophant, the powerful monster that killed her parents. Sword interval does a lot of really cool fantasy stuff, with new takes on classic monsters, and magic and monsters in settings that we don’t often see them in, out in the open in present day. It’s something I wish we could see more. Good action and art, particularly character design.

BACK - Abigail is back. From the dead? From a very long sleep in a box underground? She doesn’t know either. She doesn’t know a lot of things. What she does know is that she’s got two guns, is nearly indestructible, and is prophesied to go north to the capital and end the world. With the help of the young cleric Michael, who supplements her absolute lack of all knowledge and common sense, Abigail fights her way through the kingdom, and past the kings many superpowered deputies. Back is cool, back is funny, and sometimes has some good action. I wouldn’t consider it one of my favorites, but it’s a comic I started and I’ve kept up with, so that’s saying something.

MARE INTERNUM - Not very long yet, and I only recently read it, but Mare Internum is really good. I don’t want to spoil it too much, honestly, especially because it’s so short, but it’s a sci-fi adventure comic about being trapped, underground, on Mars, and finding life there. The art is great, the story so far is well written, and the dialogue is good. I really don’t want to spoil it, but there are some great concepts in it and you should read it.

OPHIUCHUS - A very new comic about an ancient stone guardian who is whisked away to another, far off world. Here, he is employed to help two of this world’s denizens defeat the blight that has corrupted and destroyed their once almost utopian world. The art for this is really good. The comic is not currently long enough to comment on much else, but it seems interesting, sci-fi with a touch of fantasy.

Slowly Updating:

AVA’S DEMON - Ava’s Demon is about a girl, Ava who has spent her entire young life haunted by a ghost that torments her, before finally making a deal. The ghost, Wrathia, will help her become a normal girl, with friends and a normal life, but first, Ava must track down the ghosts of Wrathia’s most powerful allies, and help her dissolve the massive interplanetary empire that is TITAN. Ava’s Demon is amazing. The story is good, but I think the comic’s greatest strength is absolutely stunning and polished art. Strong recommendation.

THE PROPERTY OF HATE - RGB is a self-described monster, a sharp dressed man with a TV for a head. However, he’s looking for a hero to guide on a quest. RGB whisks our young protagonist, the Hero, to a world that exists beside our own a world completely fueled and inhabited by our creativity, our stories. RGB protects the Hero from these dangers, guiding her on a mission unknown, through a world that, although mystical, seems to have lost its hope.

HE IS A GOOD BOY - Slow but large updates. This comic follows the life a sentient acorn, Crange, after the death of his parent (a tree) to a lumberjack. Crange is kind of a bit of a loser, and stumbles around his world of sentient rocks and bugs getting into all sorts of trouble and hijinks. These hijinks almost always result in someone’s death, which Crange is impressively unphased by. HIAGB is fantastic, in my opinion. The art is great, the humor is great, especially the visual comedy, and the story is good. However, it gets real dark, and gory. But if you’re fine with that, it IS a (dark) comedy comic, and a good one.

THE LAST HALLOWEEN - One Halloween, the darkness opens up, and monsters pour out from the seams between our world and theirs. Approximately 7 billion monsters, in fact. Mona, a young girl and horror fanatic finds herself thrown into a world of chaos and horror, on the run from her own monster, and forced to look for a way to save the world, with the help of ghosts, zombies, vampires, and even monsters themselves. In spite of the fact that this comic can be VERY dark, I think one of its big hooks is humor and likable characters, on top of great art and plot. I really like it. This comic maybeshouldn’t be on the slow update list, but the artist is just picking up speed after a long hiatus, so…

ROMANTICALLY APOCALYPTIC - The apocalypse happened, and Charles Snippy missed it. Humanity was wiped out in a war against it’s own, ever-present AI, and Charles Snippy, a scientist/tour guide without the implants made it out alive, only to wander alone this is until he meets Zee Captain, an ever positive, gender question mark, maniac who wanders the wasteland with their insane assistant Pilot. Snippy, Captain and Pilot wander the wasteland, facing off against monsters, raiders, and the laws of physics in a mind warping and illogical adventure.

On Hiatus:

DERELICT - Like a surprisingly large number of comics on this list, in Derelict, the world has ended. A strange Miasma travels the world, killing billions, and bringing with it gargoyle-like monsters who fear the daylight. However, the world goes on, in a small, broken way, and our story follows a scavenger in this new world.

HELVETICA - So, you die, and then what? Well, life goes on. This is what Helvetica learns, after he dies and reemerges into an afterlife that seems shockingly similar to the world of the living, with work, pressure, responsibility, danger, and just plain old boring life. Except everyone is a skeleton. Helvetica is very resistant to accept this new life in death. This one is pretty short so far, and hasn’t updated in a while, but it’s good.

VIBE - Hasn’t update in a year and a half, but what’s there is good (Honestly, it’s super sad it hasn’t update, I like it a lot). Vibe follows Baron, a young shaman, a spiritual master who is able to expel negative emotions (bad vibes) from the human body. Only those emotions then become monsters, who a shaman must fight to complete the process! With the help of his Loa (they’re like familiars), he navigates life as a teenager, and his increasingly complex and dangerous life as a shaman. I really like this comic. There’s a lot of very cool and dynamic action, and the artist makes great use of a ton of bright colors.

THE ABOMINABLE CHARLES CHRISTOPHER - This one hasn’t updated in about a year, but what’s there right now is good. Charles Christopher is a Sasquatch, living in the woods on the edge of society. Though he himself is fairly soft, and simple, the wilderness around him is full of anthropomorphized animals who go about shockingly human social and professional lives. The comic follows Charles Christopher as he interacts with the world of these animals, and becomes tangled in a vast spiritual quest.

POWER NAP - Hard to know exactly where to put this one. It’s currently VERY slow updating. Power Nap takes place in a world where the majority of mankind is reliant on a drug that allows them to live 24/7 without sleep. However, there are those who are allergic to the medicine, who live their lives out of sync with their peers, protected by the government, but effectively second class citizens. However, in a sleepless world, over-saturated by virtual reality, the human subconscious has found ways to seep into reality.

THE FANCY ADVENTURES OF JACK CANNON - I want to start this out by saying this comic is probably dead, without a 100% resolution. However, it’s currently 492 pages, and a LOT of the storyline covered in that span was resolved. Such that, if they’d wanted to, I could’ve seen the author wrapping it up. I digress. Jack Cannon is about a kid moving to a new school, where he finds the bullies are able to hack reality. Somehow immune to hacks, Jack fights the bullies, and in doing so, puts himself on the stage of a worldwide battle against hackers. Lots of really cool action in this, one of the first few webcomics I read.

Complete:

HOMESTUCK - If you’re here, you are probably at least aware of Homestuck. It’s about a bunch of goofy awkward teen friends who get sucked into a cosmic (video) game, with the fate of the universe at stake, but you know, they’ve still got that teen angst. Time travel is involved. It’s a very long, fun, and dramatic comic which is heavily influenced by RPGs and point and click adventures.

THE ADVENTURES OF DR. MCNINJA - The pressures of being a doctor AND ninja are immense, but on either front, you can trust that Dr. McNinja is the man for the job. Born into an Irish ninja family, Dr. McNinja longs for a life where he can do medicine in peace, but finds himself constantly pulled into a string of action packed adventures, fighting giant monsters, bandits riding velociraptors, and dueling radical interdimensional kings. This one if fairly long, a bit over 1800 pages, but it’s really good and well done. Again, there is a lot of both action and humor (I’m big on that), with some surprisingly meaningful and well-done story arcs in spite of how silly the premise is.

REMIND - This one is about a girl who lives in a lighthouse on the edge of a town whose main draw is the “Lizard Man” legend that her own father made up. However, after her cat one day starts walking on two legs and talking, claiming to be one of many said lizard men, they both go on a journey to discover the truth. This one was OK. The story and sci-fi elements are both alright bot not great. But it’s not super long, so if you have the time, maybe read it.

[lostinthosebrowneyes]

Pedro Character HCs | The Boys as D&D (5e) Classes

Dave York

Rogue. Dave is a soldier who specializes in the silent kill. He knows all about a life of murky morality and thrives in the darkness with his expertise in stealth. But get him up close and away from his teammates and their flanking advantage and it’s game over for him. He’s the classic high risk, high reward class with melee and range versatility, specifically the Assassin archetype who makes the most of drawing his weapon first.

Din Djarin

Fighter. Nobody beats the humble Fighter in terms of battle versatility. Din is more than a mercenary, he’s a true warrior. An expert in all manner of weapons, just put something that kills in his hands and he’ll make it sing. The Fighter is the workhorse of any D&D campaign, a classic and always welcome addition, he does his job with maximum efficiency be it solo or as part of a team. He has no need for fancy spells or gimmicks, his job is to take the pain and dish it out in equal measure. He will outlast all of the showy casters and niche glass cannons on the battlefield, taking his Second Wind while they’re making death saving throws. Din would probably also have the Sentinel feat because he particularly shines as a protector and is a selfless member of any party, ready to take up the slack and have your back when you need him. This is the way.

Ezra

Bard. Ezra is a talker. In a sticky situation? Try to talk your way out of it. Looking for information? Say just the right words to try and get what you need. Whether he’s good at it is debatable and he’s rolled a lot of Nat 1s in his life, but Ezra has the spirit of a Bard inside him. He’s a lateral thinker, lives by the philosophy of taking the unspoken third option and he seems like the type of person who invests in obscure lore. In the Green there is no magic to save you, only hard work. But could you imagine Ezra’s sheer power if he could speak cutting words that actually physically killed people? He would be unstoppable.

Frankie Morales

Ranger. Whether it’s up in the sky, armed with a rifle or just socializing with friends, Frankie seems to like to navigate his way around danger and keep it at arms’ length rather than face it head on. He’s found his way through quite a few wild and dangerous terrains through his career in the military, from jungles to deserts, and surely knows a thing or two about roughing it. He’s quiet, thoughtful and down-to-earth, and he seems to make his biggest mistakes when he’s around other people. Peer pressure can’t hurt you when you’re in the wilds on your own, I’m just saying.

Jack “Whiskey” Daniels

Blood Hunter. I’m going to be blunt, Blood Hunters are zealots who pick a particular type of target and hunt them to the ends of the earth. Jack clearly has an issue with black-and-white thinking and can’t let go of a good (or even a really stupid) vendetta. Particularly, Jack would be Order of the Profane Soul, because he would clearly sell his soul to the devil to wipe his enemy from the face of the earth. Blood Hunter also fits Agent Whiskey’s fighting style as they are generally Dex-based (aka, agile) fighters who sacrifice their own health to do intense amounts of damage; the riskiest daredevils of all D&D classes. Jack Daniels is a bloodhound, when he’s got his target’s scent he will finish the job or die trying.

Javier Peña

Paladin. Here we have the somewhat nobler take on the black-and-white morality man on a mission. Javier is a Paladin all the way. On a good day, Javi would be Oath of Devotion, the most romanticized version of his ideals and goals. But most of his days are bad days, so Javi chooses the Oath of Vengeance; committed to seeing evil pay no matter the cost, making restitution for the things he must do in their pursuit only after he’s taken his foes down by any means necessary. Javier has a bit of a white knight complex at times, an overdeveloped sense of justice that just doesn’t jive with how the real world works. Sometimes he realizes that, but other times it eats him up inside. As a Paladin he would have a host of spells and tricks under his belt specifically to help him root out his elusive targets, echoing the arsenal of espionage tactics he has access to in the show.

Marcus Moreno

Paladin/Sorcerer Multiclass. I couldn’t pick between the two for Marcus M, luckily these two produce a very strong multiclass! Marcus is the product of strong bloodlines like a Sorcerer and his magnetic talent is an innate part of him just as a Sorcerer’s magic is. However, this power is not his strongest asset. His leadership abilities and protective instincts are what make him who he is more than superpowers and that’s his Paladin side coming through. Marcus Moreno is the quintessential hero and a high Charisma type, but in the unassuming way that he’s just a nice dude who people naturally like... unless you’re Miracle Guy, I guess.

Marcus Pike

Rogue. Oh man, Marcus Pike was the hardest to pick of all. He’s in a law-oriented job but is impulsive and intuitive. He has combat training but he is not aggressive. He’s passionate but not over-emotional. He has a love for the arts but no desperation for the limelight. Eventually I settled on a specific Archetype: The Rogue Inquisitive. A detective flavor of the Rogue, the Inquisitive is more reliant on Wisdom than his sneakier brethren. His skills are in honing in on the truth, both of his situation and the hearts of those around him. He’s insightful, steady and trusts his gut for good or ill. The Rogue is more than a criminal or a killer, the Rogue is also the classic jack of all trades. Marcus as a Rogue is someone who loves sampling many different interests and avenues, surprising people with his versatility of talents. He’s always up for a new challenge and adventure, he’s always got an arrow in his quiver you didn’t know about. And yes, sometimes he’s a bit low-key, but you really want that in a Rogue.

Maxwell Lord

Warlock. Maxwell is the perfect Warlock cocktail of willing to make a deal and too arrogant to realize it’s a bad one. Warlocks are greedy for power, too ready to take shortcuts and often needy for attention, even if it’s the wrong kind of attention. His short rest spell slots make his magic a quick fix for sticky situations but just as quickly depleted. Maxwell is willing to get his head in way too deep in order to get what he wants and what he wants is always just out of reach, but that taste of power from his patron is enough to keep him going.

Oberyn Martell

Monk. I know what you’re thinking: “What?? The hottest man in Westeros, known hedonist Oberyn Martell as anything but a Charisma-based class???” Well here’s the thing, Oberyn is a lover and a fighter, and nobody does what he does better than a Monk. Peak physical condition, baby. Those acrobatic moves? Dexterity-leaning Monk class has it covered. Oberyn is a clever man and he uses the science of poisons to get to his enemy’s weak points. Similarly, the Wisdom-based Monk uses a blend of magic and science to exploit pressure points and Stunning Strike their enemies into submission. They are experts of the human body, what more need I say? At higher levels they literally have a class feature to stay fit and sexy for the rest of their lives. Add onto that, the Monastic Tradition Way of the Sun Soul uses explosive bursts of fire and light against their enemies in a way that’s pretty thematic for the Prince of Dorne and his fiery personality.

[unedopinion]

Is your avatar ATLA fanart? It kinda reminds me of The Fancy Adventures of Jack Cannon.

Nope! It's a picture of me (well, me 15+ years ago) by my friend @lionsarchlabs in the style of Jamie Hewlett, specifically the Gorillaz, which we were all about at the time

I've used it as my avatar for just about everything ever since, because both it is awesome and she is awesome, and seeing it reminds me of her every time I log in

[justforbooks]

The Best Spy Novels to Read While Stuck at Home

Forty, page-turning spy novels, to Keep you on the edge of your seat. Marked by an exhilarating pace, plenty of dramatic twists, and richly drawn complex protagonists, spy novels are about as riveting as it gets in the library. And while all the excitement of double agents and espionage keeps you at the edge of your seat, these books also offer insight into fascinating and troubling historical periods.

In the name of thrilling reading, no matter what time of year and to wrestle with larger philosophical questions of betrayal, human connection, and the legacy of international conflict, I rounded up 40 of the best spy novels around, to read while stuck at home. Written by former CIA and other intelligence agents and some of the most prolific literary minds of all time, get to know the best spy novels below.

Here are my picks for the best spy novels you have to read while stuck at home.

Rosalie Knecht, Who Is Vera Kelly?

1962 in New York City's Greenwich Village and Argentina. A radio show host is struggling to make ends meet and fit into the underground gay scene when she gets recruited by the CIA to wiretap a crooked congressman in Argentina, and works her way into a radical group of students planning a coup. Think coming-of-age meets historical fiction with a strong female protagonist.

Jason Matthews, Red Sparrow

Modern-day Russia. Dominika Egorova is forced into becoming a secret agent that uses her sultry beauty to seduce an American CIA officer. When she develops genuine feelings for him, her loyalties begin to shift and the plot thickens.

Gina Apostol, Gun Dealer's Daughter

1980s Marcos-era Philippines and modern-day America. Though this book doesn't follow a linear chronology, it reflects Sol's fragmented memory and trauma. As a young woman limited by the comfort of her wealth, she seeks to overthrow the Marcos regime. Spying on the American generals and Philippine elite from her own fancy dinner table, Sol's loyalties struggle between her family, homeland, and her insurgent student friends. Politically charged, lyrical, and eye-opening, this is a must-read.

Helen MacInnes, Agent in Place

New York, Washington, D.C., and the French Riviera during the Cold War. When a Russian spy who's expertly infiltrated Washington society gets his hands on a top-secret NATO memorandum, a high-profile CIA officer's cover is blown in Moscow. Now, everyone is racing against time to uncover who the Russian spy actually is.

Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer

1975 Vietnam and Los Angeles, A half-French, half-Vietnamese double agent relocates to America after the fall of Saigon, and betrayal, both personal and political, ensues. At once a love story and a spy novel about the legacy and evils of colonialism, the Vietnam War, and ensuing refugee experience in the U.S. you won't soon forget The Sympathizer. It's satirical, sharp, suspenseful, and poignant.

Joseph Kanon, Leaving Berlin

Post-WWII Berlin, Germany. Alex Meier is a young German Jew who fled to America at the onset of WWII to escape Nazi persecution. But with the Cold War underway, it's the peak of the McCarthy era, and he's pigeon-holed into working undercover in East Berlin for the CIA. It's the only way he won't be deported. But when he gets there, he finds out that his target is the woman he loved and left behind before the war. It's a thought-provoking and action-packed love story.

Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent

London, late 1800s. A shop-owner gets wrapped up in an anarchist scheme to bomb the Greenwich Observatory, but the plan goes wrong and throws his life into chaos. It raises philosophical questions and is a literary masterpiece, but that doesn't keep it from being a thrilling, entertaining read.

John Le Carré, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Post-WWII Britain. Unhappily retired after a failed mission, an aging officer sets out to catch a traitor who has worked their way into the highest ranks of British intelligence. Full of political and social commentary with a fast-paced plot, there's a reason this is such a classic.

Ian McEwan, The Innocent

Berlin, 1955. A young Englishman living in American-occupied Berlin is commissioned to install the tape recorders that that will wiretap Russians in Soviet-occupied East Berlin. He begins spying on the Americans for the Brits while helping the Americans spy on the Russians. But, he fails as a spy, and the plot becomes more complicated when he falls in love with an older German with a violent, possessive ex-husband.

Lauren Wilkinson, American Spy

Burkina Faso. In the FBI, Marie Mitchell sticks out as a young black woman. In American Spy, Marie wades through a sea of a mostly white male intelligence community, and an assignment to Burkina Faso, where she meets Thomas Sankara, revolutionary president of the landlocked, West African country.

John le Carré, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

Cold War-era Germany. British intelligence agent Alec Leamas should be on his way back to London, but one more job—an undercover mission to topple East German intelligence, leads Leamas back into dangerous territory. In an interview with Electric Literature, author Lauren Wilkinson (author of American Spy) calls this spy novel "terrific."

Susan Hasler, Intelligence

Post-9/11 America, during an election year. Intelligence trails Maddie James, a CIA counterterrorism analyst as she pursues an al-Qaida operation with an eccentric team. Meanwhile, the Administration is more interested in maintaining the message that America is winning the war on terror. According to author Susan Hasler, a former member of the CIA, writing the novel was a way to cope with residual 9/11 period anger.

Valerie Plame, Blowback

Cyprus. Young, blonde CIA operative Vanessa Pierson assumes the identify of a financial adviser in Cyprus on a reconnaissance mission. Her target: An international arms dealer, Bhoot, who is believed to be aiding Iran to bolster its nuclear activities. With an assassin on her trail, Blowback is full of fast-paced action scenes, as well as intimate details that the Washington Post describes "might elude a male writer." Blowback is co-authored by former CIA agent Valerie Plame, and Sarah Lovett.

Stella Rimington, At Risk

Britain. British intelligence taps Liz Carlyle, a scrappy counter terror agent to stop a terrorist attack. And the person of interest is traveling under a British passport, an "invisible." Author Stella Rimington relies on her former life as a high-ranking spy to author At Risk, Rimington's debut novel.

Patricia Wentworth, Hue and Cry

London. Before Mally Lee's wedding in six months, she accepts a position as governess to a shipping magnate's young daughter. Upon entering the Peterson grounds, however, Lee will be accused of being a thief and spy. Mally flees, leaving her fiancé in emotional shambles and private investigators in hot pursuit. What has Mally stumbled into?

Irène Némirovsky, The Courilof Affair

18th century Russia. Léon M, son of Russian revolutionaries, is tasked with assassinating the ruthless Valerian Alexandrovitch Courilof, Russian Minister of Education. Fronting as Courilof's personal physician, Léon M works his way into Courilof's summer house, and as his relationship with Courilof grows, learns things are more complicated than they seem.

Stephenie Meyer, The Chemist

United States. A page-turning tale of an ex-agent on the run from her former employer (a clandestine, unnamed agency). To clear her name, she accepts one more job that will put her in an even more precarious position. But, the job goes south. What now?

Jennifer Chiaverini, The Spymistress

Civil War-era America. Elizabeth Van Lew is a Union loyalist living in the Confederacy, and she will risk it all to help build the Richmond underground, break free inmates from Confederate Libby Prison, and gather military intelligence under the pretense of humanitarian aid. In this historical novel inspired by a true story, Van Lew's contributions during the Civil War comes alive.

John Buchan, The Thirty-Nine Steps

Over a century old, and Buchan’s adventure novel still passes muster. The first of five novels featuring an all-action hero with a stiff upper lip, Richard Hannay, this is unpredictable, exciting fare – and will keep you guessing until the last page.

Graham Greene, The Quiet American

A novel depicting French colonialism being uprooted in Vietnam may not sound like the most thrilling you’ve ever heard, but in the hands of English literary giant Graham Greene, anything is possible. Featuring British journalism, undercover CIA agents, illegitimate marriage and a light smattering of car bombs, there is action balanced with considered philosophy – and the book is all the better for it.

Frederick Forsyth, The Day of the Jackal

Telling the tale of a professional assassin – tasked by a French dissident organisation to kill the President of France – Forsyth’s novel was met with praise when it was first published, and remains so to this day. Of course, the 1973 film adaptation starring the suave Edward Fox did nothing to help with the stories success...

Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Identity

We all know Matt Damon’s award-winning portrayal of Ludlum’s most famous character, but how many of us have read the novels? If not, you’ll be glad to know that these tales of amnesia, backstabbing and action are just as thrilling on the page – and that Eric Van Lustbader has added to the cannon, with an additional 11 Bourne books available to read.

Tom Clancy, The Hunt for Red October

Tom Clancy’s debut novel remains his best. Introducing Jack Ryan, the CIA analyst throw into the field, it one again tackles Soviet themes and the adventures of a group of US Navy officers taking possession of a nuclear submarine. It’s thrilling fare, and Clancy’s talent to bring the appeal of classic espionage into modern-day storytelling is impressive to say the least.

Len Deighton, The IPCRESS File

Len Deighton’s first spy novel, like Tom Clancy’s, is also his best. More famous for the Michael Caine-fronted film spun from its pages, this original novel involves Cold War brainwashing, a United State atomic weapons test and an extended sequence in Lebanon – and makes use of spy novel trope to be employed for years to come: that of the nameless protagonist.

John le Carré, The Tailor of Panama

He is Harry Pendel: Exclusive tailor to Panama’s most powerful men. Informant to British Intelligence. The perfect spy in a country rife with corruption and revolution. What his “handlers” don’t realize is that Harry has a hidden agenda of his own. Deceiving his friends, his wife, and practically himself, he’ll weave a plot so fabulous it exceeds his own vivid imagination. But when events start to spin out of control, Harry is suddenly in over his head—thrown into a lethal maze of politics and espionage, with unthinkable consequences...

Eric Ambler, A Coffin for Dimitrios

A chance encounter with a Turkish colonel leads Charles Latimer, the author of a handful of successful mysteries, into a world of sinister political and criminal maneuvers. At first merely curious to reconstruct the career of the notorious Dimitrios, whose body has been identified in an Istanbul morgue, Latimer soon finds himself caught up in a shadowy web of assassination, espionage, drugs, and treachery that spans the Balkans.

Ken Follett, Eye of the Needle

“His code name was “The Needle.” He was a German aristocrat of extraordinary intelligence—a master spy with a legacy of violence in his blood, and the object of the most desperate manhunt in history... But his fate lay in the hands of a young and vulnerable English woman, whose loyalty, if swayed, would assure his freedom—and win the war for the Nazis...“

Olen Steinhauer, The Tourist

Milo Weaver has tried to leave his old life of secrets and lies behind by giving up his job as a “tourist” for the CIA―an undercover agent with no home, no identity. Now he’s working a desk at the agency’s New York headquarters. But when the arrest of a long-sought-after assassin sets off an investigation into a colleague, exposing new layers of intrigue in his old cases, he has no choice but to go back undercover and find out who’s been behind it all from the very beginning.

Graham Greene, Our Man in Havana

MI6’s man in Havana is Wormold, a former vacuum-cleaner salesman turned reluctant secret agent out of economic necessity. To keep his job, he files bogus reports based on Charles Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare and dreams up military installations from vacuum-cleaner designs. Then his stories start coming disturbingly true...

Erskine Childers, The Riddle of the Sands

The classic spy novel by Erskine Childers, credited as the first work of modern espionage fiction. Set in pre-World War I Europe, two British subject, Carruthers and Davies, uncover secret German activity suggesting a prelude to war.

Tom Bradby, Secret Service

What if your next national leader was secretly a Russian spy? Kate Henderson is a high-ranking officer of England's MI6—and a recent undercover operation has revealed explosive intel. Russia has infiltrated the upper levels of UK politics by co-opting a senior politician. To make matters worse, there may be a mole moving through the halls of England's Secret Intelligence Service. With an election looming, Kate is in a race to expose the double agents and save those she holds dear. But who can be trusted? Acclaimed British author and journalist Tom Bradby excels at crafting pulse-pounding narratives set against the backdrop of true-life events. In Secret Service, the author delivers a tense and timely spy thriller where the greatest threat comes from within.

James Grady, Condor: The Short Takes

In this novella, the iconic CIA operative Condor is back in a series of new adventures. New York Times-bestselling author James Grady brings back his famous spy but in a surprising setting. Six Days of the Condor was popular during the paranoid era of the 1970s as Condor was a spy in his prime who ruthlessly and heroically deals with a conspiracy within the United States government. In Condor: The Short Takes, Grady presents an aged Condor who finds himself in a modern setting and with 21st century threats. The original framework is present but the stories are far more intimate and less straightforward. Condor finds himself involved in cyber threats and the 9/11 aftermath; perhaps an even bigger scandal than the Cold War. The master of intrigue brings you six stories that are sure to leave you on the edge of your seat; can Condor soar over the obstacles or will he falter and fall? This is perfect for any fans of the hit original series, Condor!

John Lawton, A Little White Death

A social and sexual revolution was had throughout most of the world during the 1960s, and England was no exception. John Lawton's novel implants remnants of this revolution into the third book of his Inspector Troy series. This novel follows Inspector Troy—despite many career set-backs—as he rises to the head of CID at Scotland Yard. However, before the chief detective can celebrate, he finds himself deep into a scandal reminiscent of the Profumo affair. Troy becomes entangled in a web as he attempts to battle illness, police politics, and the Establishment. He must focus on protecting those affected by the aftermath of the scandal and discover who murdered the two key players in the scandal.

Brian Freemantle, Charlie M

Charlie Muffin came into the British secret service in the early 1950s, when the desperate government was in search of more foot soldiers in the impending Cold War. They decided to look into the middle class for the first time and found what they were looking for in Charlie. Even though he is a working-class, state-educated man from Manchester, Charlie has been one of the most effective agents of the secret service. However, times are changing as Cambridge and Oxford graduates are ready to take over again. They have decided it's time to sacrifice Charlie, but he won't go down easy. This exhilarating novel of double-crossing is excellent for fans of le Carre or Deighton!

Patricia Wentworth, Dead or Alive

In this suspenseful tale by British crime author Patricia Wentworth, Meg O'Hara's husband Robin disappears on the day she plans to divorce him. A year after the presumed body of her dead husband is found, someone breaks into her apartment to leave a shocking message. Now Meg is left to uncover if her husband is dead or alive. As more cryptic messages appear, Meg is certain that someone—maybe even her husband—is trying to get to her...but no one takes her seriously. Well, except for Bill Coverdale. For years Bill has been deeply in love with Meg, so he sets out to get to the bottom of things. Together, they find themselves embroiled in blackmail, forgery, and murder all while facing an unstoppable criminal mastermind.

John Altman, A Game of Spies

In preparation of Germany's invasion of France, England needs to gather classified information on Germany...and there's only one highly skilled spy who can get the job done: Agent William Hobbs. During the bleak winter of 1940, Hobbs meets the naive Eva Bernhardt and seduces her into working for the British secret service. Smitten with Agent Hobbs and disenchanted by Hitler, Eva agrees to seek information from the Führer’s inner circle. As Hobbs and Eva plunge into the world of espionage, intrigue, and deception, Eva quickly transforms into a tough and cynical operative, using her feminine guile and manipulative skills to obtain crucial knowledge. A Game of Spies is a thrilling tale with an even more electrifying conclusion as Eva holds her future, and the future of the entire war, in her hands.

John Lawton, Then We Take Berlin

Meet Joe Wilderness, orphaned by World War II - and certain that this fact will allow him to operate outside of society's bounds and rules for the rest of his life. But when he gets recruited into MI6, he discovers a fast-paced life in Berlin that will force him to go to extremes to accomplish his missions. This stylish thriller is a beloved read, best for fans of Eric Ambler.

Helen MacInnes, The Salzburg Connection

MacInnes may be best known for her first novel, Above Suspicion, but in The Salzburg Connection, written over 20 years later, she had become an expert in espionage beyond compare. In this spy vs spy vs lawyer tale, Richard Bryant, British agent, is one of the few who knows about a secret cache of Nazi information. When he’s found dead, an American lawyer gets caught up in the quest to find the information, before it gets in the wrong hands.

Gayle Lynds, Masquerade

Lynds became popular thanks to a collaborative series with Robert Ludlum, Covert-One, but she had been honing her craft long before The Altman Code’s debut. Like Jason Bourne, Liz Sansborough wakes up one morning to discover that she no longer remembers her life as a CIA agent. Luckily, her lover, Gordon, is there to explain what she has forgotten. But can Gordon–or the world–be trusted? There’s an international assassin after Liz, and she’ll need to figure out whom she can trust quickly.

Chris Pavone, The Travelers

A more recent addition, but one worthy of the list, The Travelers by Chris Pavone sees travel writer Will Rhodes is on assignment for Travelers magazine in the wine region of Argentina when a beautiful woman makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Drawn into a tangled web of international intrigue – like so many thriller protagonists before him – this is a standout in a modern world of throwaway poolside paperbacks.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[horny-gold]

Got anymore hornigold headcanons?

 I got a lot of random ones, but I haven’t been in the habit of writing much lately. I’d take them with a grain of salt

Let’s see…

Had no direct descendants but siblings back around King’s Lynn (I prefer that for his hometown between the two AC suggested). His family loved him and he had a decent upbringing around the docks and fishin vessels. Fond memories of cockle gathering in the Wash. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wanted to die a respectable man of some quality, not bring his family (and name) shame.

BenThatch had a heated argument or two over shifting to piracy once the war was over. Ben came around after being a diva

If someone were to enter the animus and explore Ben’s memories they’d have to utilize memories from sibling lines, Kenway, others he knew + his observatory vial. Abstergo had the vials from the Roberts stash in 2014, but claim Assassins destroyed them. Well you know what? Fuck you, Ubi. They didn’t destroy his.

Generally grew unhappy with his life as a pirate. He had highs and lows and eventually became totally disenchanted. Had his personal code of honor and rules that sometimes got in the way of profit (and success as a pirate).

Lost his hat more than once explaining why he never had one in his scenes

I think he is humorous. Some interpretations make him always serious… Kind of wry and biting humor sometimes, but sometimes just genuinely likes to inject humor and poke fun. We see his humor fade as he reaches wit’s end with his predicament. Also with humor, he gets more ridiculous as he continues to drink and smoke. But it can also lead to brooding. Really depends on the mood before he gets drunk (or high). And yeah, he definitely gets high and still got high as a Templar lol

Naval background, but despite what you might think, his career didn’t last very long before he went privateer. There’s no way he’d go back to the navy. He likes the idea of order, but deep down, he can’t live under such rigid command (ideally he’s in charge amirite). Even as a Templar you see he’s doing his own thing as a pirate hunter. 

Hearing Chamberlaine call him scum hit him harder than you’d expect, as it made him recall his naval days. Having a third option (Woodes & Templars) got him.

He genuinely wanted Vane and Rackham to sign the pardon along with the rest. 

Felt abandoned at Nassau and saw no point supporting a Republic no one else would contribute to. Once Thatch, his best and longest ally left, he was pretty much done with the illusion it would function freely.

Ben went along with Thatch’s ‘Blackbeard’ persona up to a point. More or less like: “Sure whatever tickles your fancy, Thatch” while he knocked back a drink. I think he initially gave positive feedback, cause he also was for theatrics before bloodshed. Thatch went too far, though…

Not a huge fan of Blackbeard’s beard, leading to more drama.

Was brassed off about Thatch and his wives, whether or not they were tall tales or truths. He probably interfered with any of that in Nassau

He grew the sideburns out once he started pirating. He looked more like his concept art as a privateer. 

Usually has his hair down when he sleeps on land. At sea, eh might be better to keep it tied back.

His home in Nassau is the one with the Union Jack on the main street in the middle of town leading to the beach

Was actually involved in improving the fort which we didn’t see in the game as well and would pay pirates with booze to move cannons and do repairs with him. 

Ben is a verbal top, powerbottom, or bossy bottom. I think there’s some room for exceptions, depending on the partner…

Wanted Kidd on his ship, and I think he’d have invited Kidd to serve aboard (idk if it happened). I don’t think we ever saw the two exchange a single word, but I like to imagine they were on decent terms before shit happened.

Egocentric to an extent, and that egocentricity gives way to horrible brooding lows when things are looking down. What makes Ben a Templar is he wants control of himself, his life, his ship. Chaos for too long scares the shit out of him. Losing a few ships and command, for example, was a terrible blow to his ego and would increase his drinking. He’d save himself before Nassau in most projections…

Ben genuinely likes passing on the craft, theory, and strategy of the sea to others. He likes teaching but I think he’s done it so much he comes off as a know it all at times. And yeah, being revered as the man who knows how to board ships so well and seeing his methods used does give him an ego boost.

Isn’t above jealousy and was jelly of Jackdaw and Queen Anne’s Revenge. Dick measuring contest stuff. Knows he can sail better than both though!

Ben doesn’t really share much about his personal life and personal problems except to Thatch and a few other veteran sailors like Cockram and Burgess. I think he opened up to them a lot more.

Did all of this shit for adventure and plunder. In his early dreams, he imagined getting rich and retiring with an estate like one of the 17th-century pirate gentlemen. Why when Kenway is talking about it he looks so amused. He’s been there, he knows it’s a lie and not possible in their century. It’s kind of sad to him.

Died on the beach like in the book, the boat crashed also because it was in a hurricane (Ben could navigate that with ease otherwise. This is  BEN.), but has the cutscene with his final words to Kenway from the game. I think he deserved a death in combat; after all, he was one of the ones who taught Kenway to fight

Grieved a lot for Thatch in private but outwardly was ‘I WARNED HIM, the pillock!’ 

Ben doesn’t always respect personal boundaries and is touchy-feely, especially with those he considers friends ‘and such.’ That includes hugs, pokes, bumps, putting an arm around. 

Had circumstances worked out differently in some ‘ideal’ animus projection, would have helped Thatch in Carolina. Aided Kenway had he been told about Templars, granted he could be convinced early on. There’s other woulda coulda, shouldas…idc

The ‘medicines’ were more than just medicines for Nassau and represented Thatch & Hornigold’s rocky relationship and trying to keep Ben’s interest in keeping Nassau a truly ‘free’ pirate republic.

As far as all the ships he’s had, Ben is the most prickly about the Benjamin getting damaged. It’s a real mystery why he’d do that to himself. He has a gut feeling if the Benjamin goes, then he will follow not long after…

[entergamingxp]

Making a Video Game Hero: Action-Adventure Edition

April 24, 2020 12:00 PM EST

In our newest ongoing feature series, we’re putting together the ultimate video game hero for the action-adventure game of our dreams.

Nathan Drake. Aloy. Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Sam Porter Bridges. The list of great characters in action-adventure video games is long and vast. Each and every one of them possesses their own unique skill set that makes them the best of the best. But what if you were some kind of video game version of Dr. Frankenstein and wanted to build the best possible hero for the action-adventure genre? Who would you pick? What traits would you value the most? Who has the best abs?

Below, we’ve answered all those and more to make the ultimate action-adventure video game character. Of course, a list like this is highly subjective. So if you have other ideas, be sure to let us know in the comments. We’re also only putting one character per franchise on this list to ensure it’s not just all Yakuza’s Kiryu and Majima. Enough preamble. Let’s sharpen that bone saw and flip on the high-voltage electricity!

Brain: Batman (Arkham series) Runners’ Up: Aloy (Horizon Zero Dawn) and Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell series)

There are several different directions we could go in for this one. Do you take the exact genetic copy of one of the smartest women in the world? What about the mind of a super spy who’s lived through countless battlefields? Both are great options, and we’re sure you could think of a few others. However, there’s one super-genius that takes the cake.

Listen, Batman with prep is a dumb meme at this point, but the reasoning is sound. There is no other fictional character whose battle-hardened brain is more capable of getting through any situation than Bruce Wayne. No matter what the villains throw at our hero, the brain of the world’s greatest detective will give them the upper hand.

Eyes: Agent 47 (Hitman series) Runners’ Up: Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher series) and Ellie (The Last of Us)

As with most of these body parts, there are tons of options. Ellie from The Last of Us is particularly intriguing. She’s grown up in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and seen terrible things most of us can’t even dream of. If we went through that, we’d be a sobbing heap of a human, shoveling down Ben & Jerry’s and watching Barney re-runs just to get the memories to go away. But Ellie stands up to that adversity, looks it right in the eye, and refuses to back down.

But we want something a little more useful as a gameplay mechanic. The first idea that comes to our mind is Geralt of Rivia’s Witcher-enhanced cat-like eyes. His superpowered suite of abilities has given him night vision eyes, something that comes in handy, but isn’t as all-encompassing as other options. Instead, we’re going with Agent 47’s peepers.

The star of the Hitman series has the ability to instinctively “see” everything around him in ways that normal humans never could. Heck, the guy can “see” patrolling bad guys through walls! You don’t get much more useful eyeballs than that. Plus, that steely gaze will come in handy when you’re staring down the final boss.

Mouth: Ezio Auditore da Firenze (Assassin’s Creed series) Runners’ Up: Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid series) and Nathan Drake (Uncharted series)

Okay, so we have a genius brain and a superpowered set of eyes. Now, all we need to finish off our creation’s head is a silver-tongue. At first, we were leaning toward the gruff voice of one Solid Snake. After all, his grizzled dialog is equal parts intimidating and hilarious. The man really has a knack for delivering over-the-top quips at exactly the wrong time.

However, while his voice undoubtedly sounds great, he lacks that charm we’re looking for in our leading role. Nathan Drake of Uncharted fame more than fits that bill, but even he can’t hold a candle to the suavest man in video games.

Let’s be honest, there isn’t a sexier accent on the planet than Italian. It’s not called the language of love without a reason. And, while Ezio Auditore is certainly one of the best assassins to ever grace the digital world, it’s that Italian charm that’s turned him into a fan favorite. All the other candidates’ hopes will just have to requiescat in pace.

Torso: Kiryu Kazuma (Yakuza series) Runners’ Up: Kratos (God of War series) and The Boss (Saints Row series)

Let’s talk about The Boss first. They have the willingness to endure as many surgeries as needed to make their body look however we need it to. Whether we need to be the most jacked woman alive or a beanpole of a man, The Boss is ready and willing to visit the local plastic surgeon and make it happen. Their dedication to our cause is certainly admirable, but we want something that’s stood the test of time. And there are no better options than the two best dads in gaming.

Listen, dad bods are hot right now, and there are none hotter than Kiryu and Kratos. Look at those glistening abs. Marvel at those pumped-up pecs. Watch the sweat sparkle on their massive shoulders. These guys know a thing or two about weight training and proper nutrition. We’d bet dollars to donuts that neither of these guys has even eaten a donut before. However, Kratos is a demigod, Kiryu is just a 50-year-old dude. An incredibly ripped 50-year-old dude with a sick tattoo and deadly fighting skills, but just a dude nonetheless. Thus, we’re giving him the nod for the sheer willpower it must take to stay that in shape as a “regular” human.

Left Arm: Link (The Legend of Zelda series) Runners’ Up: Nero (Devil May Cry series) and Spider-Man (Marvel’s Spider-Man)

We’ll be honest, this one was probably the hardest to come up with for runners’ up. Sure, Spider-Man could take the spot and give us the power to web-sling around the gigantic open-world map our game would be set inside. He might not canonically be left-handed, but he does have those web-shooters on both arms. That said, we want a true southpaw for this list.

Nero is another potential option given his sword prowess with that arm. However, his right arm is the one that held the Devil Bringer, making us wonder if he’s a true lefty. Instead, we’ve gone with the hero of Hyrule himself.

Before Skyward Sword went and ruined everything in the name of making Link’s movement feel good for the general public, the hero had always been left-handed. Nintendo decided to keep the travesty going with Breath of the Wild, but true lefties know that Link is one of them. It only feels right to have one of gaming’s best southpaws grafted onto our inhuman monster of a character. Nintendo may have forgotten about you, but we haven’t.

Right Arm: Chris Redfield (Resident Evil 5, mostly) Runners’ Up: Marcus Holloway (Watch Dogs 2) and Samus Aran (Metroid Prime series)

Since we have an expert swordsman’s left arm, we can get a little more creative with our right. Samus presents an interesting option. After all, her right arm is a freaking laser cannon with several options for alternative fire modes. It’s tough to think of anything more rad than that. Marcus Holloway is a bit of an out-there selection, but his hacking ability would certainly come in handy in a pinch.

That said, there’s really only one option. We could go on and on about why we’re selecting Chris Redfield’s rippling right arm for this slot, but instead, we’ll just show you. Watch this man punch a boulder and tell us there’s another choice. You can’t.

Legs: The Prince (Prince of Persia series) Runners’ Up: Sam Porter Bridges (Death Stranding) and Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden Black)

If we’re talking about sheer power output, it’s hard to argue with those bodacious thighs that Sam Porter Bridges built up delivering packages across America. Seriously, go strap 200+ plus pounds of freight to your back and walk around the neighborhood. His quads have to be powerlifter strong. How much do you think Sam squats? It has to be north of a thousand pounds.

If we were looking to be a little more nimble, you’d love to have legs like Ryu Hayabusa. The way he effortlessly bounds around an environment on his way to cutting up baddies with his katana is something to be jealous of. However, what neither of these characters has is the ability to control time and space.

Enter The Prince. Not only is he an expert in parkour, but, if he does screw up his fancy movement, he can just rewind time. That’s an invaluable addition that we just can’t pass up. Some might argue that it’s actually his dagger that controls time. While those people would be correct, the dagger is on a belt that sits on The Prince’s hips, which are basically his legs. So, in this court of law, it counts.

Hair: Bayonetta (Bayonetta series) Runner Up: John Marston (Red Dead Redemption)

Likely the easiest selection of the whole list, but let’s pretend for a second that anyone else had a chance. John Marston has one of the manliest beards in video gaming. Those bear claw scars scream “I’m grizzled, don’t mess with me”. And, while his head hair is grossly stringy, it definitely gives him a further air of someone who you don’t want to cross. Unfortunately, he can’t use said hair to fight off the bad men.

There are a few video characters who can fight with their hair, but none of them have the pizzaz that Bayonetta does. Her Wicked Weave techniques are as stylish as they are deadly, making her hair the perfect thing to (quite literally) cap off our creation.

That is quite the hero, if we do say so ourselves. Of course, you might disagree. If you do, feel free to give us your creation in the comments below. It was tough to leave off people like Lara Croft or Corvo, but we had to stop somewhere. And, if you liked this list, be sure to check back later as we’re planning to put out one of these for several other genres in the near future.

April 24, 2020 12:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/04/making-a-video-game-hero-action-adventure-edition/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=making-a-video-game-hero-action-adventure-edition

[penultimatescribe]

please read The Fancy Adventures of Jack Cannon, it has a character named Max Facepuncher. The Max is short for Maximum. He punches a lot of faces.

[scribbleboxfox]

90% of my personality is taken directly from Max Facepuncher and I'm not even sorry for it.